Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor cleared to play

ALAMEDA — Starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor has been medically cleared for full contact and to play again, Raiders coach Dennis Allen said Friday. However, Pryor has to pass one final concussion-related test before Allen signs off on Pryor's return to game action.

Pryor did far more at practice Friday than he did at any point this week. As a result, Allen said, the Raiders want to see how he responds to the increased workload the day after.

"It's not something that has to be done," Allen said. "It's something that we want to do to make sure. I want to make sure we're making the right decision for this kid."

Pryor passed the series of league-mandated tests before Friday's practice. If he passes the non-mandatory test Saturday, there's a strong chance that he will start against the Washington Redskins on Sunday, Allen said.

"I feel great," Pryor said about 30 minutes after practice ended. "I was told, today I took my final test in the morning and passed. It was an impact test, and that was probably the hardest one."

Well, he still has the additional test the Raiders are throwing at him as a "precautionary" measure, in Allen's words. Pryor didn't know about the added test until asked about it.

He said he feels as if he is 100 percent healthy. Just the same, he is appreciative of the Raiders regard for his safety and well being.

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"That just shows they take care their players ... ," Pryor said. "That sounds wonderful that they're looking at (another test). At the end of the day, prevention is definitely more key than trying to jump from one game" to the next.

Allen said he isn't going to make a definitive announcement for competitive reasons. But he made it sound as if there's a realistic chance of Pryor starting ahead of Matt Flynn.

"We haven't made that decision," Allen said. "The biggest thing is, I like where he's at. I like where he's at mentally. Medically, we're going to continue to evaluate him. He's cleared medically. We want to get one more evaluation on him tomorrow to see how he responded. But, he's making a lot of progress."

Pryor took a few snaps and wore a helmet at Thursday's practice, according to Allen. However, Pryor did not wear a helmet and attempted only one pass during the media access.

Most coaches are hesitant to start a quarterback who hasn't practiced much the week before the game. Allen's history puts him in this camp. Therefore, it was imperative that Pryor get in some practice time.

Allen is comfortable with Flynn or Pryor starting, given Pryor started the first three games this season and Flynn got the bulk of the reps with the first-team offense in practice this week.

In the end, the Raiders are taking an abundance of caution and making sure that Pryor isn't at risk of further injury.

"I'm going to make the right decision based on his health and make sure we do the right thing for him," Allen said.